Sukanya Samriddhi Account Interest Rate

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The Sukanya Samriddhi Account has been introduced to ensure that the girl child is not left behind. The scheme aims to provide financial security to a girl till the time that she gets married. The Sukanya Samriddhi Account scheme is meant for girl children below the age of 10 years. The account matures in 21 years before which it is in a lock-in period where funds cannot be withdrawn.

Sukanya Samriddhi Account Interest Rate

The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a new scheme launched in the year 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sukanya Samriddhi Account scheme was launched with an initial interest rate of 9.10% p.a. compounded annually. This has been increased to 9.20% p.a. for the current fiscal 2015-16.Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana interest rate is revised on a yearly basis and hence for FY 2016-17 it has been revised 8.6%.

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Sukanya Samriddhi Interest Rate vs PPF, FD and RD

The comparison of Sukanya Samriddhi interest rate with other popular savings instruments such as PPF, RD and FD is shown below:

Scheme	Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana	Public Provident Fund (PPF)	Fixed Deposit	Recurring Deposit
Interest rate (Fy: 2016-17)	8.60% p.a.	8.10% p.a.	6-9% p.a.	8.40%

Salient Features of Sukanya Samriddhi Account

Flexible deposit amounts: The account can be opened with a minimum deposit of Rs.1,000 and in multiples of Rs.100 thereafter. A maximum of Rs.1.5 lakhs can be deposited per account every year.
Tax exemption: Depositors stand to receive exemptions up to Rs.1.5 lakhs p.a. as per Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Partial withdrawal: Partial withdrawal of up to 50% of account balance can be claimed once the account holder turns 18, allowing her to pursue higher education on her own.
Documentation: Minimal documentation requirement which includes birth certificate of girl child and identity and address proof of depositor.
Transferability: The account can be transferred to any of the bank branches across India that accept Sukanya Samriddhi Account openings. The RBI has listed 28 banks apart from post office branches which can operate Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts.

Sukanya Samriddhi Account Interest Rate 2017-18

The Government has ensured that the rate of interest under the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme is lucrative enough for parents to be encouraged to invest more for the future security of the girl child. The interest rate pertaining to the current financial year 2017-18 is 8.4%, and it is compounded on an annual basis. This is also the best interest rate among other savings schemes, including PPF.

Effectively, the parent gets a competitive interest rate on the Sukanya Samriddhi account, in addition to a tax exemption under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. There is no other deposit scheme in the country that offers such a high rate of interest, tax exemption, and security for the girl child.

This rate of interest is not permanent, and would vary every fiscal on the basis of economic factors. However, the scheme has garnered much popularity, and hence, it is expected to continue to attract higher interest rates in comparison to other savings schemes.

The SSA interest rate change chart is as shown below:

Table 1. SSA Interest Rate Chart
S.No	Financial Year	Assessment Year	Interest Rate	Minimum Amount Limit (Rs.)	Maximum Amount Limit (Rs.)
1	Q4 of 2016-17	Q4 of 2017-18	8.4	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh
2	Q3 of 2016-17	Q3 of 2017-18	8.5	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh
3	Q2 of 2016-17	Q2 of 2017-18	8.6	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh
4	Q1 of 2016-17	Q1 of 2017-18	8.6	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh
5	2015-16	2016-17	9.2	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh
6	2014-15	2015-16	9.1	Rs.1000	Rs.1.5 lakh

Benefits with Higher Interest Rate in Sukanya Samriddhi Account

Apart from the higher interest rates, some of the other benefits of the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme are as follows:

Tax benefits under section 80C.
The account can be transferred anywhere in India.
The minimum amount that needs to be deposited on an annual basis is very low, i.e., Rs.1,000 per year.
The girl child will be able to operate the account after the attainment of 10 years.
The girl child will receive the proceeds when the account matures.

The SSA is unique in the fact that it is a scheme that offers financial security and growth, in addition to creating an awareness on the well-being of the girl child.

Sukanya Samriddhi 9.2% Interest: Maturity Amt. Calculation

The application process for the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme is very simple and requires the parents of the child to submit certain documents, such as:

Account Opening Form
Birth Certificate of the child
Address and proof of identity of the legal guardian

The amount that the child receives on maturity of the policy is totally tax-free. There will also be no tax on the investments made towards the scheme.

If you are the parent of a girl child who has decided to invest in this scheme, the maturity amount that you can avail when you start contributing from the financial year 2015-16 is as follows. The interest rate considered for this calculation is 9.2%.

Table 2. Sample Interest Rate Calculation for 9,2%
Investment amount each year for 14 years, starting from 2015 till 2028 (Rs.)	Maturity amount received after 21 years (Rs.)
10,000	5,33,764
20,000	10,67,528
30,000	16,01,293
40,000	21,35,057
50,000	26,68,821
60,000	32,02,585
70,000	37,36,349
80,000	42,70,114
90,000	48,03,878
100,000	53,37,642
110,000	58,71,406
120,000	64,05,170
130,000	69,38,934
140,000	74,72,699
150,000	80,06,463

SIP Vs Sukanya Samriddhi Account

Since the investment period for a Systematic Investment Plan(SIP) and the Sukanya Samriddhi Account are long-term, there have been many a debate on which is the best investment channel to avail maximum benefits in the future.

SIP is a method of investing in the stock market through mutual funds on a regular scale, whereas, the investment in SSA is 100% debt-based. When you invest in the stock market for an extended period of time, i.e., more than 14 years, historical data reflects that the returns are huge. These returns not only tackle inflation, but also help your money grow. However, these investments are subject to market risks. In the case of a debt investment tool such as SSA, the interest rate is flexible; so in the long run, the returns may not be able to meet the inflation and tax. But the element of risk in a debt-based investment is very low. So, this channel of investment is ideal for individuals who are not willing to endure stock market risks.